December 6, 2016

Santa couldn’t function without his helpers, and ADIFF couldn’t run without its volunteers.

The Audi Dublin International Film Festival is bringing the world’s best films to Dublin between 16th-26th February 2017, and to make sure its programme of over 130 films, special events and guest appearances runs picture perfect, the Festival needs a team of smart, enthusiastic volunteers who are ready to pull together and make the Festival a success.

Help will be needed in areas such as venues, hospitality, office administration, production, ticketing, promotions, marketing and communications so whether you are welcoming festival-goers to a venue and making sure that they’re getting the most out of the festival or helping behind the scenes at ADIFF HQ it’s a great way to get first-hand insight into the inner workings of an international entertainment event.

The festival takes its volunteers seriously and is proud of the diverse and committed group of people from Dublin and much further afield who generously give their time and who often return year after year. It’s also a chance for volunteers to build up experience, explore the city in a new way and to make new connections – both whilst on the job and of course relaxing after a film at the Festival Club.

Depending on individual availability, volunteers can either apply to be full-time (a minimum of one shift per day during the Festival) or part-time. Each volunteer needs to be able to commit to a minimum of 5 volunteering shifts.

Volunteer applications are now open! Go to the ADIFF website for more information and to download an application and make sure to apply before 5pmon January 13th, 2017. You must be over 18 to apply. Questions, comments or queries can be sent to John McHale, Volunteers Coordinator volunteers@diff.ie.

Founded in 2003, the Dublin International Film Festival sets the agenda of the year with its programme of outstanding Irish and International film. Offering unique access to a plethora of film-making talent, the festival transforms Dublin into a hub of glamour, creativity and film appreciation. Over the past 14 years, the festival has hosted over 550 major guests, including winners of the festival’s prestigious Volta Award such as Al Pacino, Julie Andrews, Danny DeVito, Daniel Day-Lewis, Joss Whedon Brendan Gleeson Angela Lansbury, Stanley Tucci, Stellan Skarsgård, Kristin Scott Thomas and Ennio Morricone. The festival has screened world cinema from 52 different countries, a total of almost 1,500 films, of which 300 were Irish features including Irish premieres of Sing Street, Once, Ondine, In Bruges, Calvary, The Stag and The Secret of Kells. The festival’s young people’s programme Fantastic Flix is expanding each year, engaging schools and families and building a new generation of film fans.

Leonard Cohen’s morbid remarks about waiting for death some weeks before his death had made me think about the 1930s generation who were actively working and not thinking about death. So the day that Clint Eastwood (86) releases his latest film Sully into Irish cinemas, and a day after Woody Allen turned 81 having recently made his first TV show, I thought I’d round up some people born in the 1930s who are still very much alive and well and working as hard as ever.